Shake Shack redemption

About a year ago, I wrote a not-so-flattering post about Shake Shack in New York. The wait was long, the burger was just okay, and I felt like it was just overhyped all together.

But I’m happy to say after a second visit, Shake Shack has more than redeemed itself in my book. In fact, I may now prefer it over In-N-Out (say whaaat?)! I went to the Theater District location at the corner of 44th and 8th at around 1pm and the line was surprisingly short. Took about 10 minutes to order (as opposed to the hour I waited the time before) and another 10 minutes to get our food. Not too shabby at all.

I ordered the Shack Stack, which is a hybrid of their Cheeseburger and ‘Shroom Burger topped with lettuce, tomato and “ShackSauce.” I had heard great things about the Shack Stack and if Shake Shack was going to redeem itself in my eyes, this bad boy would be the number one contender.

I went the distance with the Shack Stack and boy this burger was a complete knockout. The beef itself was really fresh and tender, something Shake Shack prides itself on. But the star was definitely the mushroom. The mushroom is a crisp-fried portobello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese and when you bite into it, all that gooey cheese just oozes out at you. Everything in this burger comes together so perfectly and I really don’t know how else to explain it. It was just absolutely amazing and I’m really glad I gave this place a second chance.

In addition to the burger, I also ordered the Great White Way concrete. A “concrete” is a dense frozen custard blended at high speed with toppings and mix-ins. I guess there’s a reason they named the place Shake Shack because their frozen custards are just as amazing as that burger. The Great White Way was a vanilla custard with marshmallow sauce and crispy crunchies. Super sweet but super delicious. And the contrast in texture between the custard and the crunchies made eating it a lot easier than if it was just straight up ice cream.

Yes Shake Shack is more expensive than In-N-Out, but I believe the quality of ingredients and the flavor of the food make it worth the money. I 100% fully recommend trying the Shack Stack burger and I think it will become a staple of mine every time I visit New York from now on. Just phenomenal.